MAKO robot

"MAKO is a privately held 2004 startup that makes a surgical robot with their patented Haptic Guidance System to make quick work out of knee surgery.

The use of the MAKO robot for knee arthroplasty - or as they call it the MAKOplasty procedure - can reduce the damage and improve recovery times for the patient. Instead of replacing the whole knee the surgeon has precise control via the robot to sculpt the knee and replace only what is needed. During the MAKOplasty procedure, the diseased portion of the knee is resurfaced, sparing the patient’s healthy bone and surrounding tissue. An implant is then secured in the joint to allow the knee to move smoothly again. And the operation can be performed through a small hole."
The first generation of the MAKO robot was introduced in 2006 and got in use in 17 commercial sites. Well over 700 patients have benefited from the use of it.
In 2009, the 2.0 version was released with upgraded design and functionality. They licensed Immersion's haptic technology to integrate to the robot. In December, MAKOplasty announced the commercial availability of the Lateral Unicompartmental Knee Resurfacing Application for its RIO Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. The new application complements MAKO's unicompartmental and bicompartmental knee applications targeting the medial and patellofemoral compartments. Mako went open on NASDAQ in 2008.

Learn more about the system at MAKO's site. Or watch these: video1, video2.

Sources: MedGadget, Medical Devices Today, Robot Gossip, Medical Robotics Blog